Photos: Renegade Halloween Parade Brightens Powerless West Village

Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of the 39th Annual Village Halloween Parade (it MAY be rescheduled) but that didn't stop a group of determined costumed revelers from swarming the West Village last night. The small but exuberant parade grew in size as it wound through the darkened, post-Sandy streets sans permit, although they were accompanied by a vigilant police presence to keep everyone from spilling out into the street. Check out Tod Seelie's photographs from the freak show.

Seelie tells us, "It was a pretty fun time, even with the almost 1:1 ratio of police escorts. No trouble with the cops as far as I saw or heard though, mostly they just told us to stay on the sidewalk and blocked traffic so we could cross streets." Instead of following the usual route straight up Sixth Avenue, the renegades took a circuitous route through the West Village's tangled streets, evoking the original spirit of the parade before it was organized in concert with the NYPD.

One of the participants told the Daily Beast, "We’re all artists and activists who go ahead and make things like this happen. We don’t need permits or permission from the city. We’ve got to keep the spirit alive. People have been having a hard time lately and it’s just good to show that we have as much life and vitality as we always have. We’re survivors and we like parades."